Tamara Lubliner and Suzanne Ricklin are looking forward to celebrating their 100th birthdays, but their cakes will have to wait until 2048.
First they'll celebrate George Burns' 100th birthday in January. The famed comedian is an honorary charter member of their Centenarian Club, a nonprofit organization started in 1989 by the two Columbia residents and social workers.
The half-century gap in members' ages doesn't matter, the women say, because the club promotes positive thinking and healthier lifestyles for people of any age.
Members receive a lifetime certificate and a wallet-sized membership card affirming a commitment to a "healthy, spirited lifestyle." The card notes the date of the member's 100th birthday.
"Mr. Burns' energy and 'love of life' are exemplary of the positive thinking it takes to be a healthy and happy Centenarian," said Ms. Ricklin, 47, who, with Ms. Lubliner, presented Mr. Burns with a certificate four years ago when he was visiting Baltimore.
So far, the club has about 350 members who have contributed from $25 for a lifetime individual membership, to $300 for a lifetime family charter membership. Fees collected are donated to programs and services for the elderly and patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
The idea for the club started five years ago when the women attended an AIDS conference in Washington, D.C. Speaker Bernie Siegel, author of "Love, Medicine and Miracles," had told the group that it would be wonderful if people would come together to affirm something positive -- like living to be 100.
Ms. Ricklin liked his idea and started jotting down words that included "century" and "100." Coincidentally, she and Ms. Lubliner had incorporated their practice a week earlier and named it Century Mental Health after West Columbia's Century Plaza, where they have offices.
They formed the Centenarian Club with an advisory board that consists of such notable honorary members as Dr. Elizabeth Kubler Ross, author of "Death and Dying," and Dr. Siegel. Willard Scott, the NBC-TV weather forecaster who routinely announces 100th birthdays, is honorary national chairman.
"It's about living life and taking life to its fullest," Ms. Lubliner said. "This will help you in the future because you will be looking to the future with a positive eye."
"A lot of people perceive the club's focus to be about reaching a hundred," Ms. Ricklin said. "It's more about today, the here and now."
The women pepper their speech with positive words and phrases such as "hopefulness," "vitality," "affirmation" and "healthy lifestyle."
Each woman's family is involved. Certificates belonging to family members are displayed prominently in their homes. The first member of the club was Ms. Ricklin's father, Roy Naden.
"I got involved because I want to be 100," said the 74-year-old Baltimore resident.
"I think life is very precious. I'm still working; if you have your health and you keep your mind occupied, there's no reason why you can't live to be a hundred. . . . I believe in a positive attitude and smiling; it keeps your juices flowing."
"The act of joining the club centers and focuses us into making some kind of a commitment," Ms. Ricklin said. "Seeing your 100th birthday on paper changes people."
But Ms. Lubliner emphasized that the concept is "not just this pie-in-the-sky attitude. There's a lot more to it than that. . . . Your belief in aging is how you feel about aging and how you act; it takes steps such as goal setting."
The two social workers are heading toward setting some goals for the club.
"This year, we plan to start a newsletter called the Centennial Centinel," said Ms. Lubliner. "It will contain tips on healthy living and ideas to promote longevity."
The working mothers believe time and money are most needed for the club's growth.